. >> but in countries exposed to the ancient maya culture, in south america for example, a transition from one calendar cycle to another has a spiritual meeting. rituals have been held at various historical sites to mark the occasion. continue. people gathered at ancient ruins like this temple in guatemala. weather or not thursday was the last night on earth or simply the end of the mayan calendar, people here were not going to sleep through it -- weather or not -- whether or not. >> we have to decide if we want to continue in the situation we are in theory to be complete human beings, we need to respect the land, the mountains, the forest, the lakes, rivers, the oceans. >> since yesterday, there have been traditional celebrations with my and dance and rituals, but the event has captured the imagination of people around the world, and it seems everyone has their own interpretation. a museum in taiwan even built a replica pyramid, and people counted down to what some believed to be the end of the world. police in france have cordoned off a village reputed to be the only place that will